Each year, the EPA provides grants to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, or pollutants. Funding amounts vary by type of grant:
- Assessment Grants: up to $200,000
- Assessment Coalitions: up to $600,000
- Revolving Loan Fund Grants: up to $1,000,000 requiring a 20 percent funding match
- Cleanup Grants: up to $200,000 requiring a 20 percent funding match.
These grants are competitive. Only about one-third of applications are ultimately successful.
Here are some tips for a successful grant application:
- Pass any resolutions early. Identify the deadlines for your local governing body’s agenda and ensure that you are in possession of all materials with enough time.
- Promptly register with grants.gov. The grants.gov website requires registration and an up-to-date DUNS registration and SAM numbers. These steps can slow you down and should be the first steps in familiarizing yourself with the submittal process.
- Do community outreach as required. Understand the difference between involving the community and informing the community! Make sure you have a plan for actually involving them.
- Contact supporters for commitment letters early. Reach out to local, state, and federal friends that have helped in the past and can be counted on for this round. This is a partnership building opportunity, and specific commitments provide assurances to the reviewers of project feasibility.
- Build a realistic and detailed budget. The budget allows you to demonstrate that you have a cogent and organized project that makes sense. Specify which monies will be allocated to each task and provide a detailed cost breakdown per task. Tie the costs to the project’s goals, and ensure that the costs are consistent with the project’s narrative.
- Pay attention to eligible activities. Do not include tasks for activities that are ineligible uses of funds under EPA’s Assessment Grants such as land acquisition, building demolition, building or site preparation, or administrative and indirect costs. For a specific breakdown of eligible costs, review the NOFA, here.
BRS has obtained almost $30 million in EPA Brownfields Grants for our clients. We have prepared over 110 successful applications covering Assessment, Coalition, Cleanup, and Revolving Loan Fund grants. BRS has an 85% award rate for Brownfields Grant applications submitted.
Should you be interested in having BRS, Inc. assist you with preparing your Assessment, Cleanup and/or Revolving Loan Fund grant proposals, please feel free to contact us.
In 2018, this information has been updated with new policies, please always check grant guidance documents for specific information.
